Latest news with #ArdgowanDistillery
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Scotland's newest whisky distillery to open near Glasgow with bold new flavours
A sleek new whisky distillery just under an hour from Glasgow has announced its official opening date. Ardgowan Distillery, located in Inverkip near Greenock , will open its doors on Friday, June 20, becoming the latest addition to Scotland's lowland whisky scene. The launch marks a major milestone for the team behind the project, who describe the moment as the result of years of 'vision, determination and hard work'. Running from 3pm to 7pm, the event will invite visitors to explore the striking new distillery, meet the people behind the whisky, and enjoy an afternoon of live music, street food and top-notch drams, Glasgow Live reported. One of the highlights will be the unveiling of the Ardgowan Infinity Cask, a bespoke vessel designed for ultra long ageing. 'At the heart of it all are our signature Infinity Casks, a testament to our dedication to creating truly great whisky,' the team said. Crafted to mature whisky over decades, the cask reflects Ardgowan's bold and thoughtful approach to flavour, time and legacy. The opening will also see the debut of a new range of Clydebuilt bottlings, available in limited numbers for the first time. These whiskies, which are matured and blended on site, are described as being 'crafted with the same care and character that will define our single malt. "Predominantly sherry led and always bottled at a minimum of 46 percent, natural colour and no chill filtration – these whiskies are the forerunner of what's to come from Ardgowan Distillery.' Led by Distillery Manager Laura Davies, the team prides itself on precision and patience. 'We craft exceptional whisky with pure spring water, malted barley, yeast, and the expertise of our skilled whisky makers – but above all, with time,' they added. 'We prioritise quality, ensuring every cask is matured to perfection before bottling.' Beyond the whisky itself, the building has also been designed to impress. 'The Ardgowan Distillery build was a real feat of engineering, resulting in a striking and truly unique site that will become a landmark for whisky lovers,' the distillery states. Sustainability is central to the design, with clever efficiencies like Thermal Vapour Recompression (TVR) helping to reduce its carbon footprint . Initially, it will produce around one million litres of spirit per year, with capacity to grow to two million in time. The distillery benefits from its setting on the Ardgowan Estate, drawing on natural spring water and coastal air. 'Ardgowan Estate's natural spring provides pure, sweet water, ideal for whisky production. "Situated close to the sea and the warming Gulf Stream, our distillery benefits from a unique maritime environment, giving our whiskies distinctive coastal character.' First approved in March 2017, Ardgowan Distillery takes its name from a long-lost distillery nearby, originally founded in 1896. New CEO Roland Grain said: 'This is an incredibly proud moment for everyone involved with Ardgowan Distillery. I'm honoured to lead the team as we build on Scotland's whisky legacy. We can't wait to welcome visitors to experience our craft first-hand when we officially open this June.' More information about the opening day is available on the Ardgowan website .
Scotsman
23-04-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Opening date confirmed for Scottish ‘cathedral to whisky' distillery
A Scottish distillery that's been billed as a 'cathedral to whisky' is set to open its doors to the public for the first time in June. Ardgowan distillery in Inverkip is set to open on Friday 20 June, with a celebration of the years of work that have gone into this eye-catching new build. Visitors will be invited to explore the brand new distillery, meet the people behind the whisky, and enjoy a day filled with live music, street food, and exceptional drams. One of the standout moments of the day will be the unveiling of the Ardgowan Infinity Cask, a unique and bespoke vessel crafted for ultra long ageing. Designed to mature whisky over decades, it reflects our bold and thoughtful approach to flavour, time, and legacy. The event will also see the debut of a brand new range of Clydebuilt bottlings, with limited numbers available for the first time at the official opening. At the centre of the collection is the exclusive opening day release - a whisky that marks the start of a new chapter for Ardgowan. The design for the Ardgowan distillery uses low environmental impact composite cladding, timber and steel materials to create a light-filled modern Nordic long hall, which is why the distillery is known as a "cathedral to whisky.' Ardgowan in late 2024 Picture: John Devlin In November 2024 the distillery marked a milestone moment with the arrival of the stills, which were made by McMillan Coppersmiths in Prestonpans, were piped into the site during an event attended by locals, press and the provost. As well as the opening date announcement, Ardgowan Distillery has a new Chief Executive Officer, Roland Grain. A seasoned entrepreneur and passionate whisky enthusiast, Mr Grain has been a key figure in the distillery's development from the outset. The management transition has always been a planned succession as the distillery moves from construction and into production. This next phase will focus firmly on sustainability, innovation, and the creation of Ardgowan as world class whisky. Mr Grain said: 'This is an incredibly proud moment for everyone involved with Ardgowan Distillery. 'I'm honoured to lead the team as we build on Scotland's whisky legacy. We can't wait to welcome visitors to experience our craft first-hand when we officially open this June.' Martin McAdam, outgoing CEO and founder, added: 'Getting the project to this point has been an odyssey. We have a fantastic team in place. "I'd like to thank all the shareholders who have supported us through this remarkable journey. I wish Roland Grain every success in his new role as CEO. This is just the beginning of something truly special at Ardgowan as we commence production of our own Single Malt.'
The Herald Scotland
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scotch whisky distiller reveals new boss as launch nears
The Austrian entrepreneur, who has held a majority shareholding in the distillery since 2021, has succeeded Martin McAdam, an engineer by background who has steered the project through its construction. Asked why he had moved into the chief executive hot-seat, Mr Grain, who runs a drinks distribution company in his native Austria, felt it was important to oversee the initial production phase at the distillery, when cash flow is critical. And he revealed that the ultimate overall investment in the distillery will be close to £30 million, around double the outlay initially forecast after costs soared during the construction process. 'Not everything [has been] spent on the distillery itself,' Mr Grain told The Herald. 'It is a former farm building, so we had to renovate houses [and build] visitor centre areas. We have also invested in a gin distillery, which is working or Blackwoods Gin. We have also already bought a lot of casks, which is part of the investment.' 'It's 100% more [investment] than we believed.' Read more: Mr Grain explained why costs had soared during the development of the distillery, with the price of energy and other inputs having risen sharply in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He said this necessitated the investment a further £2m in energy efficiency projects 'because the payback is so fast'. 'Now it [energy cost] is a little bit lower after we spent the money," Mr Grain said. 'Also, the production costs are higher than planned. The cheap days of whisky producing have been over for some time.' Now construction of the distillery is complete, Mr Grain said whisky making will be restored to the Inverclyde area for the first time since the Second World War 'any day now'. 'We are commissioning through everything currently and fixing the last, final steps," he said. "In the coming weeks, the first distillation will [take place].' While some new distilleries release new-make whisky as soon as they are able to, even if just to satisfy collectors, Ardgowan will be taking its time. Mr Grain explained the company will be using Infinity Casks, which are 'relatively large and lead to longer maturation times'. 'We [will] try to release our whisky when it is ready, but at a higher age than a normal distillery," he said. "The Infinity Cask will most probably only mature after about 15 years. We are really aiming for the long run." Whisky lovers may be interested to hear about Ardgowan's cask policy. Mr Grain noted that, in contrast to the majority of Scotch whisky distillers, Ardgowan will exclusively mature its spirit in European oak, 90% of which will be sherry barrels. (Image: Ardgowan Distillery) Stills are put into position at the new Ardgowan Distillery He said: 'We will have a higher proportion of older whiskies than most of the other distilleries due to the Infinity Cask. It will make a difference, and we are the only whisky start-up ever who has laid down casks long before the distillery was even built to season these casks with sherry in Spain. 'We have, already, for the first three to four years of production, laid down these casks in Spain. It is all European oak, and this is also extremely unique – 90% of the casks used, or even more, in the Scotch whisky industry are ex-bourbon. We will be 100% European oak, and sherry for 90%. It is quite outstanding and a huge commitment money-wise in this project, and a huge commitment to quality.' The casks are housed in Sanlucar de Barrameda, in the heart of the sherry-making region of Spain. 'Luckily we found a warehouse which is the same distance to the sea, like the [Ardgowan] distillery is to the sea," Mr Grain said. "And we will have laid down [in] only dunnage warehouses – we have a dunnage warehouse for seasoning, and a dunnage warehouse for maturing. It is quite nice too.' As Ardgowan gears up to begin production, the company has been releasing a range of blended malts under the Clydebuilt range to generate income and to build up a distribution network for the eventual release of its own single malt. Six whiskies have so far been released under the Clydebuilt brand, which Mr Grain said are 'really good quality and represent the direction our whisky will go, so it is heavily sherried'. Given Ardgowan is still in the process of building up its distribution network, Mr Grain said there is currently no impact on business from US President Donald Trump's controversial tariff policy. But he said the 'major problem with tariffs' is their variability under Mr Trump. 'One day you read in the newspaper it is 20%, the next day it is 100%, then it's 80%, then it's nothing,' he said. 'It makes life really difficult.' He added that tariffs were 'hurting' smaller and younger distillers more than their more established and bigger counterparts. Mr Grain said 'When the distillery is new, its costs of production are higher. You need to sell more non-age statement whiskies in the early stage. All of the business plans of the newer distilleries are showing a quite high price, but they are non-age statement whiskies. This makes life currently very difficult."
